The driver of a Tesla Motors car, which hit another vehicle in China while using the Autopilot function, has accused the company of overselling the capabilities¹ of the technology.

驾驶特斯拉汽车(Tesla Motors)所产车辆的一名司机，指控该公司对其自动驾驶(Autopilot)技术的能力宣传过度。这名司机在中国使用自动驾驶功能的时候撞上了另一辆车。

Lou Zhen was unharmed when his Tesla Model S collided with an illegally parked Volkswagen car on a motorway² in Beijing last week. In a post online, the 33-year-old programmer admitted he was not paying attention and did not have his hands on the wheel — something that Tesla instructs its drivers to do when using the driverless mode.

这位名叫娄震（Lou Zhen，音译）的司机在事故中并未受伤。上周，他驾驶的特斯拉S型(Tesla Model S)在北京一条快车道上，撞上了非法停靠的一辆大众(Volkswagen)汽车。在一个网帖中，这位33岁的程序员承认他并未注意道路状况，也没有把手放在方向盘上——这是特斯拉指示其驾驶员在使用无人驾驶模式时应该采取的做法。

But Mr Lou also claimed that consumers were not told of the limitations of the technology “when buying the car”.

不过，娄先生也声称，消费者“在买车时”并未被告知这种技术的局限。

The case will ignite further debate around the company’s promotion³ of its driverless technology, which has come under scrutiny⁴ following a fatal crash in Florida this year.

这起个案将引燃围绕特斯拉对其无人驾驶技术推介的进一步辩论。在今年佛罗里达州发生一起致命事故之后，这种技术受到严密关注。

In most countries, Tesla promotes its driver assistance as Autopilot, a similar term used in aircraft when they fly themselves. In reality, the technology tracks other vehicles on the road and monitors lane lines, taking control of steering⁵ and braking.

在多数国家，特斯拉都将其驾驶助理推销为自动驾驶，这个词本来用于描述飞机的自动飞行状态。在现实中，该技术会跟踪路上的其他车辆并监视各车道，控制方向盘和刹车。

Drivers are told to have their hands on the wheel and to be able to take control at any time. In China, Tesla markets the technology as zidong jiashi, a term most commonly translated as Autopilot.

司机们被告知，要把手放在方向盘上，以便随时接手控制。在中国，特斯拉将这项技术作为“自动驾驶”来进行推广，这是Autopilot最常见的翻译。

While it may be weaker than the Chinese term for self-driving, which is wuren jiashi, there is room for misunderstanding among Chinese consumers, according to Zhong Shi, an independent automotive analyst⁶ in Beijing. “China’s way of referring to these technologies is a big problem. Though a similar risk exists for the term Autopilot in the west, Chinese consumers are less likely to read the instruction manual,” he said.

北京的独立汽车分析师钟师表示，尽管“自动驾驶”听起来可能比“无人驾驶”弱一些，但中国消费者仍有可能产生误解。“中国表述这些技术的方式是一个大问题。虽然Autopilot这个词在西方也存在类似的风险，但中国消费者阅读说明书的可能性更低，”他说。

Tesla maintains that it makes clear to all Tesla owners that the Autopilot technologies are not fully developed and that the driver has to be ready to retake control at all times. Elon Musk⁷, Tesla’s founder⁸ and chief executive, has also defended the technology, saying it leads to safer roads and fewer deaths.

特斯拉坚称，它明确对所有特斯拉车主表明，Autopilot技术还不完全成熟，司机必须随时准备重新控制汽车。特斯拉创始人和首席执行官埃隆•马斯克(Elon Musk)也为这项技术辩护，称该技术让道路更加安全，减少了致死事故。